Charles Leclerc Fastest at Bahrain Testing Day Two in Bahrain

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc topped the timing sheets as second day of Bahrain pre-season testing concluded under the floodlights at Sakhir. The Monegasque driver’s morning benchmark of 1m 34.273s remained unbeaten throughout the afternoon and evening sessions, signalling a strong start for the Scuderia’s 2026 campaign.

While Ferrari enjoyed a smooth programme, the narrative elsewhere in the paddock was defined by reliability struggles and marathon stints. Lando Norris finished second fastest for McLaren, just over half a second adrift of Leclerc, but the reigning World Champion’s headline statistic was his mileage. Norris completed a staggering 144 laps, proving the durability of the MCL40 even as other teams faced technical headwinds.

Mercedes race to recover

The biggest story of the day emerged from the Mercedes garage. Rookie Kimi Antonelli was limited to just three laps during the morning session due to a power unit issue. The team was forced to perform a full engine change over the lunch break, costing the young Italian crucial acclimatisation time in the new machinery.

George Russell took over driving duties for the afternoon and immediately set about recovering the lost ground. The Briton managed to clock 54 laps in the second session, bringing his total to 110, while Antonelli remains stuck on a total of 33 laps across the test so far. Lawrence Barretto reported from the paddock that despite the setback, the team remains hopeful of balancing the programme in the remaining days.

Red flags and flying mirrors

The session was interrupted by two red flag periods. The first was caused by a bizarre incident involving Valtteri Bottas. The Cadillac driver, who completed 49 laps yesterday, lost a wing mirror while speeding down the main straight. Carlos Sainz, following closely behind in the Williams, narrowly avoided the debris before marshals cleared the track.

The second stoppage was more concerning for Alpine. Pierre Gasly ground to a halt at Turn 1 with a mechanical issue and was unable to restart the car. It marked the second consecutive day an Alpine has stopped on track following Franco Colapinto’s issues on day one. Gasly did not return to the circuit, ending his day early and leaving the French outfit with reliability concerns to address overnight.

Rookies and returnees impress

Despite the interruptions, Bahrain testing day two provided valuable mileage for the grid’s newer faces. Oliver Bearman, driving for Haas, enjoyed a highly productive day. The young Briton, who outscored teammate Esteban Ocon last season, completed over 100 laps and finished an impressive third on the leaderboard with a 1m 35.394s.

Isack Hadjar also made up for lost time. After missing the majority of the morning, the Red Bull driver completed a full race distance of 57 laps in the afternoon, finishing fifth fastest.

Conditions and new tech

The afternoon session began in 29-degree heat with a track temperature of 35 degrees, eventually cooling into the twilight conditions that will greet drivers for the season opener. The changing light offered a clear view of the new active aerodynamics in action, with rear wings flattening out on the straights.

Drivers were spotted locking up frequently, particularly George Russell, as they adjusted to the reduced downforce levels of the 2026 regulations and the «green» track surface.

As the chequered flag fell on Bahrain testing day two, teams turned their attention to data analysis. With only one day of testing remaining before the season proper, the pressure is mounting on Mercedes and Alpine to resolve their gremlins, while Ferrari and McLaren appear to be the teams to beat.

Day 2 Leaderboard

Here’s the recap of the first day of pre-season testing.

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